Branding, branding, branding. This seems to always be on (creative) small business owners' minds! For obvious reasons, though. We live and breath the success of our businesses. Most times, we are the face of them, the main contact, we've invested every dime we've made (and then some), and we unfortunately identify parts of our being with these brands and businesses. It's amazing, fulfilling and freeing but can also be exhausting and draining.I've spent years working on my business (so far from where I want it), but it's just me, myself and I. Sans a degree in business (Family Studies.. what was I thinking, haha). I exhaust all my resources, and work really hard to do the one thing I know a lot about, right. And that is my branding. Of course, at the beginning, I would have loved to hire for this service. But I couldn't afford it on the long list of expenses so it continued to fall to the waistline. I always make sure to put out as much cohesive work as possible, which can be really hard when you work all four seasons with so many different types of clients. My first question to clients is always "have you taken a look at my work, or website?" because I want to confirm that they have, in fact, looked at my previous work. They don't have to love everything but I want to weed out as many inquiries as possible that could be barking up the wrong tree. Example; when an inquiry tells me they "hate greenery" or prefer a "tight, ball-shaped bouquet"... that's usually a dead giveaway that they haven't looked at my work and maybe got my name or contact from someone else. There is NOTHING wrong with this, but it's the perfect opportunity to direct them to your work so you don't waste their time, either.

This is all to say that branding is really important in your overall marketing plan. If your branding isn't cohesive, complete or on-point... you'll be booking the wrong clients for the indefinite future. And go through one season of that, and you'll never do it again! :) I've compiled a quick small business branding guide for beginners. These tips may help you get started on your own branding or even assist with your marketing plans. I'll expand on it in time!